<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Sun Casts Shadows by Firegod</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26118655">The Sun Casts Shadows</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firegod/pseuds/Firegod'>Firegod</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Nightmares and Day Dreams [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aang's Nightmares, Ba Sing Se, Fire Nation, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Jasmine Dragon, MuffinLance, Nightmares, Other, Towards the Sun, Zuko - Freeform, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:54:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,103</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26118655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firegod/pseuds/Firegod</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Aang pretty much stopped having nightmares about Ozai after he beat his ass, but the kid has never stopped having them about Scarface, sorry, Fire Lord Scarface."-Sokka</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Nightmares and Day Dreams [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>259</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Nightmares</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Sun Casts Shadows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/gifts">MuffinLance</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aang’s nightmares are a variety of terror, ranging from the minor fright of forgetting to study for a math test, to not wearing his pants when confronting an enemy. He labels those as the good nightmares because he can usually sleep through them and they happen infrequently. Other times he was back in the forest by Phoaui Stronghold, talking to Zuko and instead of shooting flames at him after giving Zuko his friendship speech, he tells Aang he can never be friends with a coward, that Aang’s the reason why the world got into such a mess and million other tiny accusations that bleed into each other till the world becomes a dark spiralling void that consumes him, causing him to wake up in a cold sweat breathing heavy into the night.</p><p>He wishes he is dreaming right now, but it seems that a new nightmare has chased him from his dreamscape to the waking world of the Jasmine Dragon. He thought when he defeated Ozai the war would be over, but the fact is that he had just postponed it judging by the message they intercepted from the fire nation camp that afternoon or rather they’d retrieved from the trash when the were hunting for clues of what’s happening in the Fire Nation.</p><p>‘ZUKO IS FIRELORD,’ screams Sokka, ‘how did this even happen.’ Exasperation and despair litter his tone as tea splashes out of his cup scalding his fingers, dropping it with a clack as he waves his fingers in the air to cool his all ready reddening skin.</p><p>Toph chuckles at his pain, ‘well we have the Loser Lord locked up Snozzles did you forget about the line of succession, he is the oldest after all.’</p><p>‘That’s not what I meant. I thought Azula is Fire Lord, not prince-I mean Fire Lord Jerk bender,’ he says getting a rag mopping up the spilled tea.</p><p>‘Zuko becoming Fire Lord might not be that bad or at least not as bad as Azula, maybe we can reason with him to not start the war up again,’ Aang says optimistically as Iroh pours Sokka another cup of tea and sitting down himself to do the exact same.</p><p>Sokka scoffs at him, ‘sure the guy who chased us all over the world trying to capture you will be able to be reasoned with,’ Sokka says sarcastically. Katara nods along with Sokka in silent agreement, but Aang could see the bitterness slowly spreading from her face to the rest of her body. Ever since she had been trapped in the catacombs her hatred of Zuko had grown from a mere fly buzzing around your head to, the entire war and the suffering that came with is your fault and the very thought of you makes me want to hurl up onto your princely shoes. Aang didn’t like Zuko but he didn’t think the war was his fault; he was just another casualty like all of them were.</p><p>‘Zuko may listen; he is compassionate despite his Father trying to snuff that out of him. He’s seen the suffering of the Earth Kingdom and he’s seen our nation sending off troops that will never return home, he cares about people and maybe without Ozai those buds of compassion may yet blossoms once more and as he’s halted all movements of the Fire Nation troops they may all ready be blossoming,’ Iroh says with a sombre smile working on to his face.</p><p>‘And if he isn’t going to withdraw Aang here just dethrone him if he even thinks about restarting the war,’ Sokka supplies cheerfully at Aang but Iroh’s disgruntled face tells that no that won't be happening.</p><p>‘We cannot have Avatar Aang remove him from the throne and if we do the Fire Nation will erupt into civil war over rightful succession as I wouldn’t have obtained it legally, ‘ Iroh says a shadow of gloom passing over his face.</p><p>Sokka face contorts in a familiar way when he's about to explode into a tangent of questions, ‘what if continues the war, what if he doesn’t see reason, what-’</p><p>‘A map maker needs to see the river to draw it properly otherwise how can he guide another along its traitorous path,’ Iroh says interrupting Sokka’s tangent. Aang could see Iroh’s point at least he thinks he see’s it, Iroh’s proverbs were always a bit murky to him.</p><p>‘Couldn’t you take the throne legally though,’ asks Aang.</p><p>‘I would hope to avoid taking the throne if it is at all possible,’ Iroh says.</p><p>‘Yeah politics in stuffy rooms with pompous men, understandable why you wouldn’t want to go for that,’ Says Toph but Iroh eyes are closed in deep concentration.</p><p>‘The only way to take the throne legally would be to challenge Zuko to Agni Kai,’ Iroh says not looking any off them in the eye. Aang doesn’t know what to say to that and judging by everyone else’s expressions mirroring his neither do they. Just like that night when they first heard the tale of how Zuko got his scar.</p><p>That night under the stars after sparky boom man came and nearly blew them up if wasn’t for Iroh’s intervention.</p><p>‘Finally this nightmare is over, now one less threat against the millions of others that were up against,’ says Sokka slumping down on the ground.</p><p>‘This is not the first time you’ve encountered him?’ Asks Iroh.</p><p>‘Ever since we got to the Fire Nation this guy has been trying to blow us up, who the hell sent him. No one even knew we were alive back then!’ Sokka exclaims taking a sip of his tea.</p><p>‘Azula,’ Katara says her name with such icy venom that Aang can feel his lighting scar flare up, but Iroh shakes his head in disagreement.</p><p>‘I know my niece and Azula wouldn’t send an assassin she is far to direct, if she wanted to kill you she wouldn’t hire another party to finish the job, she would do it herself to ensure that the job would be accomplished, the only one who would...’Iroh trails off but the implications is s clear as day.</p><p>‘Zuko,’ Katara finishes off for him growling out his name, ‘of course it would be Zuko, when he couldn’t catch Aang as a prize he just has to kill him and us as well, ’ Katara says bitterly looking into her tea.</p><p>‘Please don’t judge my nephew to harshly Master Katara, he’s had a enduring life,’ Iroh says solemnly.</p><p>‘I can’t after all he’s done to us, tying me up, using my mothers necklace and his lies all of it to get to Aang.’ The tea in Aang’s cup thrashes around responding to her tempestuous temper.</p><p>‘His reasons for capturing the Avatar was his only way home and understanding my brother I think he feared that he would be banished again or worse. I cannot fault my nephew for that fear infecting him.’ Aang didn’t know that, he thought Zuko just wanted him because he was the Avatar. Catching him and delivering him to the Fire Lord for prestige and honour that he was always spouting off about whenever they unfortunately encountered each other.</p><p>‘What did he get banished for it must have been pretty bad for Ozai to banish him,’ Katara says snark littering her tone.</p><p>‘He spoke up at a meeting saying that the General proposing to sacrifice a entire platoon is wrong.’ Heaviness hangs over the camp with Iroh’s declaration.</p><p>‘Wow and I thought my parents were strict.’ Says Toph trying to cut the levity.</p><p>‘No that’s just the beginning,’ Iroh’s entire body is ridged and tense, he seems to be far away from the small campfire and somewhere else entirely, ‘because of his disrespect he was challenged to Agni Kai a fire bending duel, but when he turned around it wasn’t the General standing at the other end of the duelling arena, it was his father,’ Iroh says and see’s now what that heaviness was, he knew it but as it wasn’t coming from him he didn’t know what it was but now he see’s it, regret.</p><p>‘Zuko fought his father?’ Sokka asks.</p><p>‘No, he refused and because of this his father burned him.’ Aang felt sick to his stomach.</p><p>‘His burn wasn’t a training accident,’ Katara says her voice lacking the punch and the bite when Zuko usually came up.</p><p>‘No it was very much on purpose, my brothers cruelty had not ended in him just mauling Zuko, but banishing him and he could only return if he had captured the Avatar.’</p><p>‘Why was that cruel, I get that would be hard to do but err,’ Sokka trails off seemingly not knowing how to finish off his sentence.</p><p>‘For it had been a 98 years since the Avatar was seen.’ That sentence washes over Aang like a tidal wave. Another got hurt because of him running away, another person suffering at the Fire Nations hand because he didn’t want to do his duty, another life damaged because of the war he didn’t stop before it began. He knew the Guru said to let go off his guilt but how could he when he was constantly facing it day by day</p><p>‘So that means,’ Sokka eyes shift side to side in a way he does when playing Pai Sho with Iroh and figuring out the next move, ‘his father didn’t want him to come home at all.’ Iroh gives a nod, the fire crackling between them.</p><p>‘How old was he,’ Katara asks her voice barley a whisper, but was caught in the quite of the night.</p><p>‘Just a year older than Avatar Aang.’ That night after that the brevity that usually accompanied was non-existent as they climbed into their bedrolls and Aang’s nightmares changed.</p><p>He was at the Agni Kai that been described to him and he saw Zuko not Zuko as he had come to know him, but young and unburdened by his scar kneeling on the ground in front of Ozai.</p><p>‘I am your loyal son, I won’t fight you,’ Zuko pleads as Ozai places a hand on his face in a loving caress and starts to say something. Aang thought Ozai is going to tell him everything was going to okay that he forgives him for his transgression, but whatever Ozai says is lost in Zuko’s screams as he burns his face who crumbles to the ground and as Ozai turns around it isn’t Ozai but it’s himself. He woke up screaming and crying that night and up until the comet they were all like that and continue to be.</p><p>‘It might still have to come to that,’ Sokka’s says and his cold tone washes Aang back to the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh doesn’t say anything and instead just takes a sip of his tea to drown his reply to Sokka, but they know him and they know what he will do to protect the world and with the good mood having faded Aang feels a heaviness come over him.</p><p>‘I will send a request to meet with him to discuss where the Fire Nation is heading,’ Iroh says definitively and that one sentence screams what Iroh will do if Zuko doesn’t want to sit and talk peacefully. It makes Aang’s stomach curdle into painful knots and tea taste bitter.</p><p>‘I’m going to go to bed,’ interjects Aang finishing his tea.</p><p>‘Night,’ they all say to him that tells him they know he just doesn’t want to face this conversations anymore. Heading up the stairs and rolling up into his covers and drifts away.</p><p>The sky radiates heat that licks at his skin and his hands are on Ozai in a familiar way, one on his forehead and one on his chest ripping out Ozai’s bending, but it wasn’t working it was burning him. Aang try’s to pull away from, but his hands are glued to Ozai’s form and couldn’t stop the fire from consuming him but his charred carcass transforms into Zuko and the fighting would start up again but nothing would work against him.</p><p>‘I am a monument to all your sins,’ Zuko says and Aang wakes up out of breath, burning hot sweat growing cold chilling him to the bone. Getting out of bed stepping around his friends he heads down the stairs and into the courtyard and lays on Appa’s fluffy side and stares up in the dark blue that lightens with the sun and he wonders what will come when he heads off to the Fire Nation and what he will say to Zuko who had suffered because of him.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>